Clamp



Feb. 24, 1931. KEEN 1,794,179

CLAMP Filed Feb. 15, 1928 Inazerzir bwkw 5.

3 effect a clamping action. I aa a gt b ttery 4 Qfbrdina-ryan Well Patented Feb. 24, 1931 v i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE nnnnnar'snvnnrrsr Kenn, orrvin'rinnn,massaonnsn'rrs oLAMr Application filed February 15, 1928 Serial No. 254,539.

This invention relates to a clamp and al- Referring to the drawings, 10 and 12 desigthough more particularly designed for clamp- 'nate a pair of clamping members of like coning line terminals to storage battery termistruction which together make up the clamp. nals, it is yet adapted for various other uses. The ends of the clamping members may be The objects of the invention are to provide variously formed dependent upon the use 55 a clamp which is adapted for connecting terto be made of the clamp but when employed minals of different shapes and sizes, which is in Connection with a storage battery, one end easily applied and disconnected, which can 14 of each member is semi-cylindrical to conbe taken up when necessary to compensate form to the shape of the battery terminal post for wear, which permits of relative moveand the other end 1 6is a half ball socket to 69 ment ofthe parts clamped, and which is sim- IV h @8411 6nd 0f he l n terminal. ple and efficient in construction and yet of a r lrawlng the two clamping members tol t, get-her, I provide a yoke 18 adapted to iit M i ti t l t a, la having about the intermediate or neck portions 20 of two (Jo-operatingmembers with their ends the members 10 and 12. The inner faces 22 formed to suit the shape of the members to Of the y ke diverge in all Outward direction be clamped with means fofdrawingthe two and form wedging surfaces which are commembers together in clamping action and for pl mental to wedging surfaces 2% formed on looking them when set up. The members are the outer sides of the necks or intermediate f bl f like on tru tion and the portions of the two clamping members. clamping action is efie'cted by forcing the two he forcing of the two clamping members. members together to grip between their ends Into the yoke wedges them together to bring the parts to be connected by clamping Alabout the clamping action of their two ends. though various means maybe employed for Any suitable means may be employed to this thi purpose, the preferred comprises a yoke end and one form of such means is shown. having-inclined or wedging surfaces for en- Comprising a T-headed screw and a buttergagement with complemental wedging surfly nut 32.. The screw shank is arranged befaces on the clamping'members and screw tween the clamping members with its head means for drawing the clamping members lying transverse to the longitudinalaxes of 39 into the yoke to bring them together and the said members andsupporting them with thereby effect the clamping. .in the yoke-.18 and the threaded end of the In the-drawings illustrating the'preferr'ed screw projects loosely up through a hole, in form of my invention, Figure 1 is a view in the yoke to receive the nut 32. Each of the perspective of the upper corner portion ofa clamping members is provided with a recess 3.; storage batt ry showing a clamp constructed on its inner face-to permit them. to be in accordance with my invention employed drawn together without binding up-ontnc for clamping together a line terminal and a shank of: the screw 30. To prevent turning storage battery terminal; Fig. 2 is a top plan of the screw during the manipulation of the view showing the clamp with two terminals nut, that portion 36 of its shanknear the head 411 clamped together thereby; Fig. 3 is a side maybe squared to fit looselythe recesses 3i elevation of the same; Fig. 4 is a side elevain the two clamping members andthe necks tion of one of the clamping members look- I of the said two members may be reduced vering toward the inner face; Fig. 5 is a bottom tically's-o that thehead islocked in a transplan view of the same looking upwardly in verse position between the two ends of the i Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on members 3). v 5 line 66 in Fig. 3 showing the yoke, locking 1 7 To illustrate the useof my invention, Fi screw and nut in elevation and Fig. 7 is a urezl shows theclamp hereinbefore described, view in perspective of the lockingscrew for :utilized for connecting-the ball terminal 40 locking the clamping members together to. onthe. line conductor 42 tothepost'terminal known construction. The semi-cylindrical ends 14L of the clamping members 10 and 12 grip between them the post terminal 44: and the ball socket ends 16 enclose the ball terminal 40. To insure a tight grip upon the post terminal, the inner surfaces of the ends 1-9: of the clamping members are provided with fins l8 for biting into the post when said members are clamped thereto.

he application and removal of clamps of o my invention to storage batteries is accomplished with a minimum expenditure of time and eflort and is very simple. The two clamp ing members, in applying t-he clamp, may "be held in one hand with the T-screw arranged in position with its shank upright, the ball terminal is then with the other hand inserted between the proper ends of the members and the yoke dropped over the neck portions of the members and the nut threaded into the screw, after which the cylin'c'lrical end of the clamp may be dropped over the post terminal, the nut tightened and the operation is complete. To remove the'clainp from the terminals, the nut is unscrewed, the yoke removec and the two clamping members fall apart. lVhen the clamp is used onstorage batteries, however, the conductor may be disconnected fl'OlTl'tll battery by merely loosening the butterfly nut sufficiently to permit one end of the clamp 'to be removed from the battery post terminal which as a general rule will not loosen up the clamping-members sufiiciently to release the ball terminal from the other'end of the clamp and it may be left hanging on the end of the line conductor until the latter is recon'nectedto the post terminal One of the principal advantages ofa clamp of this construction is the ease with which it may be disconnected from the battery "terminal and this advantage is especially emphasized in connection with batteries used on antomobiles. In such cases t it has been observed that great difficulty is commonly experienced i in disconnecting line conductors fr-em storage batteries because of the accumulation of deposits, corrosive or otherwise, on the battery terminals, but with clamp such conditions are instantly overcome by removing the yoke said members to clamp one of said terminals and each of said members being provided with a wedging surface, a yoke member mounted on said two clamping members and having mterior wedglng surtaces 1n engagement with the wedging surfaces of said members, a T-shaped screw having its head arranged transversely of the bottom faceof said members and its shank extending upwardly through said yoke and a thumb nut threaded on the upper end of saidshank and easily accessible for-drawing said members into said yoke to effect a clamping action.

A clamp having, in combination, two members of like construction having their twoends formed for (Jo-operative clamping action, each member having one end semi-cylindrical to partially enclosea terminal post and its other end of half ball socket form, and

having an intermediate ou ter oblique 'wedgr ing surface, said semi-cyl-indrical end being provided with an inner fin for locking said end on said termi'inrl post, a wedging yoke for 'engaging'the wedging surfaces on said two members and a T-shaped screw and thumb nut for drawing said two members into said yoke to 'efiect a clamping action.

3. A battery connector clamp-having, in

combination, two men'ibers of like construction having their two ends'formed for 'cooperative clam in 'actiomeach member having onee'n'd semi-cylindrical to partially enclose'a batteryte'rminal post and its other end of half ball socket form for partially 'enclosingthe' end of a line conductor and having its intermediate portion provided with an outer oblique wedging surface, a .wedging' yoke mounted on said members and having oblique inner surfaces for engaging said wedgin'g surfaces, a T-shaped screw having its head in transverse"engagement with 'the bottom faces of said two members and it's'fsha'nk extending upwardly through said yoke and-a thumb nut threaded on the upper end of said-shank -for drawing said two members into said yoke 'to-efi'eet a clamping ac- *tion,- sa1dthumb nu't'being" at all times easily accessible to permit 'manipulation'thereof. In witness whereof, I hereuntoset' my hand and separating the clamping members from this fourteenth day of February, 1928;

' the battery-terminal.

It is to be noted that by varying the shapes of the ends of the clamping members, the clamp may be adapted to a wide variet'y'oif uses and it is to be understoodthat'myi iveib DELBERT S, 'K EEN.

tion is-n ot'to belimited to the particular form herein shown and described since itma'y' be embodied in various other forms all within the purview of the following "claims. 7 What I claim is:

deflecting electrically a two clamping members, eaph end of "each of said members being "formed for cooperating "with the corresponding and "'ofth'e other of -poaannmnanda ballterniinalcomprising llU 

